


The Oncoming 5torm

by DarcSyster



Series: 5isters [3]
Category: AdventureQuest Worlds
Genre: Critique Fic, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 13:37:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14833274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarcSyster/pseuds/DarcSyster
Summary: I really hadn't intended for any of this to happen. I was enjoying writing about 5hadoe as much and sometimes more than playing the game. She has become such a fun character to write about. She adds wonderful counter-point to the game design, showing off the various flaws in a wonderfully light-hearted way. For example, the game designers assume every player is going to want to do things, like fight in the coliseum, but as 5hadoe points out, she's really not interested so the game-story is going to break because, old-style gamers being old-style gamers, if you give them 2 options, will always choose the fourth.While I was writingWithin The 5hadoe, I tried to think of what kind of character would truly ally itself with evil if they had really thought through the options. This is of course me not considering that the game designers just do light/darkness=good/bad=fairytale/scarytale stereotypes and don't deal with realgoodandevil. The Shadowscythe are more like comic book Mafia-lite. And this in the era ofBreaking Bad! Come on! We expect evil to beEVIL! But if we really think about it, the answer was "not many" would choose evil, just as in real life not many choose evil. The long-term benefits of good out weigh the short-term benefits of evil. People who hadn't thought through the options might choose evil, but any who gave it real thought would realize there was little to no benefit to it. It made more sense if you were evil, to ally yourself with good but to then go about and be evil. Allying yourself with evil didn't really work to an evil character's advantage, unless you are a truly evil mage. For a fighter, for every doom weapon, there is an equal blessed weapon, and someone higher up to stab you in the back with their even more powerful Doom weapon. For a healer, and the bad guys do need their own healers, unless you're going for the Josef Mengele award, your benefits are really not very class related and you have little or no chance to reach the top spot. You'll only be a henchman or minion at best. But for an evil mage, having access to some of the most diabolical magicks, the cold heart needed to be so sadistically cruel, and the ambition and cunning to be so Machiavellian, then there could be a real benefit. And so, I created 5torm. And then I thought "What if 5hadoe and 5torm met?" Which of course, gives me a chance to explore 5torm's personality.If you could hear their voices the way I hear them in my head, 5torm sounds something like a cross between Angelica Houston playing Mortica Addams and Patricia Quinn playing Magenta from Rocky Horror with the same kind of smooth low tones except slightly lower. I can't even think of a real live person who sounds like 5hadoe.One of the minor problems I have with the game is I can't figure out how to give 5hadoe a smile. 5hadoe is perpetually perky and cheerful but the avatars all seem to have frowns on their faces. So I just keep her mouth covered. Her eyes look cheerful that way.





	The Oncoming 5torm

"5hadoe?!" called a smooth low feminine voice. It belonged to a raven-haired mage. 

"5torm!" 5hadoe responded in cheerful surprise. "Wow! It's been a long time!"

"Ever since you escaped that horrible orphanage," 5torm replied. 

"Given what life was like under those _good_ noble women full of _good_ intentions trying to teach us how to have _good_ lives, living on the streets and in the forest was an improvement!" 5hadoe responded happily. "What about you? Did you manage to escape too?"

"In a way," 5torm replied. "I set fire to the orphanage and burned it down. The only people who were hurt, died actually, were certain _good_ noble women filled with _good_ intentions who were trying to teach us how to have _good_ lives." She looked 5hadoe up and down. "Nice armour. You're still alive, not in prison. I guess you're doing all right for yourself."

"Not so bad," 5hadoe responded. "Robes. Staff. I guess you're doing the wizard thing."

" _Mage_ thing," 5torm responded. "So what brings you to Battleon?"

"I kind of hang out here," 5hadoe responded. "Been kind of going around, having adventures. Let me get you a drink. What about you?"

"Much the same," 5torm responded. "There was that little matter with Sepulchure. They forced _me_ to pick sides! Imagine! Thinking someone like _me_ might ever ally themselves with _good_." 5hadoe was silent. "You allied yourself with good?" 5torm demanded in utter shock. "You?! How? Have you not seen how incompetent and futile their efforts are?"

"I have," 5hadoe responded. "But everyone I've ever met who ever worked with evil ended up getting stabbed in the back or worse. Once you become a threat to their power, or a liability to them, that's it. They're all nice and friendly letting you think everything is okay, and then when you least expect it, _stab_! The good don't do that. They just mess everything up. I figure I've survived enough of that so far, I can keep doing it."

5torm giggled and shook her head. "I see your point. So you are _good_."

"Not really good," 5hadoe responded. "You can't really be big good like they try to be, trying to fill the world with peace, harmony, and justice. That never works. A world like that only exists in dreams. You can only be good in little ways, like greeting everyone with a pleasant smile!"

"Even while you are robbing them at sword-point?" 5torm asked.

"Especially then!" 5hadoe replied. "And it's especially important after you've robbed them to wish them to have a nice day." 5torm shook her head in disbelief. "I have to do something! Except for Artix, Cysero, and sometimes Robina, I don't think I've ever seen anyone around here smile. So! Even though you don't need to worry about Sepulchure any more, there are other evil overlords and overladies, like Dage the Evil and Sepulchure's daughter, Gravelyn," 5hadoe said. "How are you going to keep them from stabbing you in the back?"

"That's easy," 5torm replied. "I have a plan. I am going to arrange for each of them to have a rather unfortunate and permanently fatal accident. That way, no one knows or even suspects that it's me. And when they are all gone, it will be _I_ who shall rule the world!"

"Why would you want to do that?" 5hadoe asked. 

"For the _power_!" 5torm replied. "When I am ruler over all, I shall be able to have anything I want!"

"What do you want?" 5hadoe asked.

5torm fumed. "You always were so infuriating asking those kinds of questions. I don't know what I will want, but what ever it is, I shall have it. If I want chocolate cake for breakfast, I shall."

"Have you had breakfast yet?" 5hadoe asked.

"No," 5torm responded.

"Bartender!" 5hadoe called before 5torm could say another word. "Bring my friend here some chocolate cake." She turned back to 5torm. "We're out of the orphanage now, both of us. We can go where we want, do what we want, have what we want, be who we want."

"Indeed," 5torm agreed. "But clearly your wants are small and simple compared to mine. Where I shall rule over all, you shall be - " 5hadoe smiled and raised an eyebrow while 5torm quickly frowned and fumed. "You are so infuriating! You follow your own rules. You won't allow yourself to be ruled by anyone! A fancy crown and a title, those mean nothing to you!"

"Of course not!" 5hadoe responded happily. "I'm a rogue. It's what we do! Hey! If you really want to rule the world, go to the Coliseum just outside town. They're having a big competition and the prize is the opportunity to court the Crown Princess."

"Does she swing both ways?" 5torm asked in surprise. "Why aren't you competing?"

"I'm not into other women, at least I don't think so, but especially not Princess Brittany," 5hadoe replied. "Besides, I'm not interested in ruling the world. But since you are, if you were to compete and win, you could say, since you're not interested in other women and the king doesn't have any sons, you'll court King Alteon instead. By the rules he's laid out, he'd be forced to accept. Then you could get yourself made queen!"

"I should kill you now," 5torm said solemnly. "You are far too dangerous. But no, I could never do that to you. Instead, when I am queen of the world, I shall keep you close, very close. Oh, I will give you your freedom, on condition you don't try to have me overthrown. I will make it worth your while to keep me on the throne. You will be very useful to me, being the dim light that will keep me from being totally blinded by my own darkness."

5hadoe thought quietly for a moment. "That could be very dangerous," she said solemnly.

"Indeed!" 5torm said with a most evil smile.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hadn't intended for any of this to happen. I was enjoying writing about 5hadoe as much and sometimes more than playing the game. She has become such a fun character to write about. She adds wonderful counter-point to the game design, showing off the various flaws in a wonderfully light-hearted way. For example, the game designers assume every player is going to want to do things, like fight in the coliseum, but as 5hadoe points out, she's really not interested so the game-story is going to break because, old-style gamers being old-style gamers, if you give them 2 options, will always choose the fourth.
> 
> While I was writing Within The 5hadoe, I tried to think of what kind of character would truly ally itself with evil if they had really thought through the options. This is of course me not considering that the game designers just do light/darkness=good/bad=fairytale/scarytale stereotypes and don't deal with real _good_ and _evil_. The Shadowscythe are more like comic book Mafia-lite. And this in the era of  Breaking Bad! Come on! We expect evil to be **_EVIL_**! But if we really think about it, the answer was "not many" would choose evil, just as in real life not many choose evil. The long-term benefits of good out weigh the short-term benefits of evil. People who hadn't thought through the options might choose evil, but any who gave it real thought would realize there was little to no benefit to it. It made more sense if you were evil, to ally yourself with good but to then go about and be evil. Allying yourself with evil didn't really work to an evil character's advantage, unless you are a truly evil mage. For a fighter, for every doom weapon, there is an equal blessed weapon, and someone higher up to stab you in the back with their even more powerful Doom weapon. For a healer, and the bad guys do need their own healers, unless you're going for the Josef Mengele award, your benefits are really not very class related and you have little or no chance to reach the top spot. You'll only be a henchman or minion at best. But for an evil mage, having access to some of the most diabolical magicks, the cold heart needed to be so sadistically cruel, and the ambition and cunning to be so Machiavellian, then there could be a real benefit. And so, I created 5torm. And then I thought "What if 5hadoe and 5torm met?" Which of course, gives me a chance to explore 5torm's personality.
> 
> If you could hear their voices the way I hear them in my head, 5torm sounds something like a cross between Angelica Houston playing Mortica Addams and Patricia Quinn playing Magenta from Rocky Horror with the same kind of smooth low tones except slightly lower. I can't even think of a real live person who sounds like 5hadoe.
> 
> One of the minor problems I have with the game is I can't figure out how to give 5hadoe a smile. 5hadoe is perpetually perky and cheerful but the avatars all seem to have frowns on their faces. So I just keep her mouth covered. Her eyes look cheerful that way.


End file.
